iPhone App Helps Blind and Visually Impaired to Identify US Currency

More than 100,000 blind and visually impaired individuals may currently own an Apple iPhone.

The EyeNote™ application (app) was developed by the United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing for the blind or visually impaired to use as a tool to increase accessibility to U.S. paper currency.

Built for the Apple iOS, the EyeNote app scans a bank note and communicates the dollar value to the user. EyeNote™ is a free mobile device app designed for Apple iPhone (3G, 3Gs, 4), the 4th Generation iPod Touch and iPad2. It is available through the Apple iTunes App Store.

EyeNote™ uses image recognition technology to determine a note’s denomination. The mobile device’s camera requires 51 percent of a note’s scanned image, front or back, to process. In a matter of seconds, EyeNote™ can provide an audible or vibrating response, and can denominate all Federal Reserve notes issued since 1996.

Free updates will be available whenever new US currency designs are introduced. Research indicates that more than 100,000 blind and visually impaired individuals could currently own an Apple iPhone.